Photo Flash: First Look- THE LAST 5 YEARS at The Barn Stage Company

Cabaret at The Merc's Summer Series returns for its 2nd year with an incredibly moving and intimate production of Jason Robert Brown's The Last 5 Years, starring Allen Everman and Lisa Livesay. Directed by Susan Jordan DeLeon who starred last year in their sold out production of Next To Normal, this beautiful piece of theater follows two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years. The show's unconventional structure consists of Cathy, the woman, telling her story backwards while Jamie, the man, tells his story chronologically; the two characters only meet once, at their wedding in the middle of the show.

Check out the first production shots below!

The show is carried by its two stars, Lisa Livesay (Wicked, Natl. Tour; Parade, Mark Taper Forum) in the role of Cathy and Allen Everman (Falling For Make Believe; The Colony Theatre, The Full Monty; Candlelight Pavilion) as Jamie. Musical Direction is by Victoria Wooldridge, who will be at the piano leading a live 6 piece band.

Audiences have come to love the monthly series by Producers Jordan Beck and J. Scott Lapp, that is presented on the last Sunday of every month at The Merc. Now, these up and coming theatrical heavy weights are expanding once again with the launch of The Barn Stage Company, Temecula's new non-profit professional theater company. "We are absolutely thrilled to be moving into our brand new home at The Truax Building." said Beck, who serves as the company's Executive Director. "Last year we moved into The Merc the day we opened, and teched that afternoon! Now with our own space, we are excited to share our vision for the future with the community." At roughly 4,000 square feet, the new space is quite larger than The Merc, yet still retains the intimacy that made last year's productions so special. "We're excited to bring an immersive, innovative new style of musical theater to Temecula! Our audiences deserve a high-quality, consistent, professional company and that's what we're striving to do," said Lapp, the company's Artistic Director. "We're pushing the boundaries of theater and very happy to be able to offer equity contracts on all our shows." said Beck. For more information, visit www.TheBarnStageCompany.com

The Last 5 Years will play two weekends only, Thursday July 23 - Sunday July 26 & Thursday July 30 - Sunday August 2 at The Truax Building, 41923 Second Street, Temecula, CA. 92590. Tickets are priced at $30.00 and can be purchased by visiting www.CabaretAtTheMerc.com or www.TemeculaTheater.org or by calling the Old Town Community Theater Box Office at 1-866-653-8696.

Photo Credit: Rowena Curtis